KR102329401B1 - Water Purifier Capable of Offering Beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

A water purifier having a beverage extraction function capable of brewing and supplying beverages from powdered coffee, cocoa, tea, and the like is provided.
The water purifier having the beverage extraction function includes: a filter unit for receiving and filtering raw water; a beverage supply unit that heats and pressurizes the purified water filtered by the filter unit to generate a beverage, and includes a beverage extraction unit; and a direct-type purified water supply unit for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit to the purified water extraction unit by the pressure of the raw water.
According to such a water purifier, it is possible to reduce the size of the water purifier and to reduce power consumption for maintaining a constant temperature of water accommodated in the tank can be obtained.

Description

Water Purifier Capable of Offering Beverage

The present invention relates to a water purifier having a beverage extraction function, and more particularly, to a water purifier having a beverage extraction function capable of brewing and supplying beverages from powdered coffee, cocoa, tea, etc.

As daily life and social life progress and become specialized, a myriad of devices that can be used and utilized simply and efficiently in daily life are being developed.

This coffee extraction device is a device for manufacturing a liquid beverage from capsules containing powders such as coffee, black tea, and cocoa, including coffee, and supplies high-temperature and high-pressure water (steam) to the capsules loaded in the capsule extraction unit (coffee extraction unit). A liquid beverage is extracted.

Recently, a so-called coffee water purifier has been developed in which a coffee extraction device is installed in a water purifier so that a user can take a beverage such as coffee as well as purified water.

Conventional coffee water purifiers provide coffee by supplying hot water accommodated in a hot water tank installed in the water purifier to the coffee extraction unit.

An important factor that determines the taste and aroma of coffee extracted from the coffee brewing unit is a constant pressure (eg, 7 ~ 10Bar) and a suitable temperature (eg, 90 ~ 95℃), but the conventional coffee water purifier is a hot water tank. Since the hot water contained in the coffee brewing unit is supplied, the temperature of the water supplied to the coffee extraction unit depends on the temperature of the hot water contained in the hot water tank, so there is a problem that the taste and aroma are not constant and the best quality cannot be guaranteed.

In addition, the conventional coffee water purifier is provided with a large-capacity storage tank, so there is a limitation in miniaturization, and there is a problem in that a lot of power is consumed to maintain the temperature of the cold water tank and the hot water tank.

On the other hand, in a conventional coffee water purifier using a capsule, when high-pressure water (steam) is supplied to the coffee powder accommodated in the capsule, a blocking phenomenon in which the powder is compressed to a high pressure occurs, and coffee extraction may not be possible. That is, the coffee powder accommodated in the coffee capsule is blocked at high pressure during extraction to block the extraction path. In such a blocking situation, an excessive load is applied to the high-pressure pump, which may cause malfunction of the high-pressure pump, and there is a problem in that coffee capsules (capsule coffee) that cannot be extracted must be discarded.

Republic of Korea Public Utility Model Publication No. 2013-0005025 (published on August 22, 2013)

The present invention has been devised to solve at least some of the problems of the prior art as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier having an excellent beverage extraction function in terms of miniaturization and power efficiency by enabling extraction of purified water by raw water pressure. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier having a beverage extraction function in which a flow path for supplying beverages such as coffee is separated from a purified water supply flow path to optimize the taste and aroma of beverages such as coffee. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier having a beverage extraction function capable of accurately measuring the extraction amount of a beverage such as coffee.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier having a beverage extraction function capable of stably driving a heater even at high pressure.

And, as an aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier having a beverage extraction function, which enables stable beverage extraction even when a blocking phenomenon occurs in beverage powder accommodated inside beverage capsules, such as coffee capsules.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifier having a beverage extraction function capable of stably discharging steam generated from an instantaneous heating unit as an aspect.

As an aspect for achieving the above object, the present invention, the filter unit for filtering by receiving the raw water; a beverage supply unit that heats and pressurizes the purified water filtered by the filter unit to generate a beverage, and includes a beverage extraction unit; and a direct-type purified water supply unit for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit to the purified water extraction unit by the pressure of raw water.

At this time, the flow path constituting the beverage supply unit and the flow path constituting the direct water purified water supply unit are configured to be branched by a flow path switching valve for beverages, so that the flow path constituting the beverage supply unit and the flow path constituting the direct water type purified water supply unit are separate of euros can be achieved.

In addition, when the direct-water purified water supply unit includes a hot water supply unit for heating and supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit, the flow path switching valve for beverage is disposed between the flow path constituting the beverage supply unit and the flow path constituting the hot water supply unit. can be converted to euros.

And, the water purifier having a beverage extraction function according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of purified water filtered by the filter unit, and a first flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of purified water supplied to the beverage extraction unit Two flow sensors may be provided, and the second flow sensor may be configured to enable measurement of a finer flow rate than the first flow sensor.

In addition, the beverage supply unit, the beverage extraction unit for generating a beverage, a pump for supplying purified water by pressurizing the beverage extraction unit, a heater for heating and supplying purified water to the beverage extraction unit, and to the beverage extraction unit It may include a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of the supplied purified water.

In this case, the heater may be configured as a high-pressure heater that can be stably operated at a pressure of 7 bar or more. In addition, the heater may include a die-casting heater in which a heating element and a flow tube through which water flows are provided together in a heat conductor, and heat is transferred from the heating element to the flow tube to heat water flowing through the flow tube.

On the other hand, the water purifier having a beverage extraction function according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a control unit for controlling the driving of the beverage supply unit, wherein the control unit is the pump based on the flow rate sensed by the flow rate sensor. drive can be controlled.

In this case, when the flow rate sensed by the flow sensor is less than a set flow rate, the control unit may be configured to stop the pump and then restart the pump. In addition, the controller may apply a second voltage higher than the first voltage applied to the pump when the pump is initially driven to the pump during at least a part of the voltage application time when the pump is restarted. In this case, the controller may apply the third voltage lower than the second voltage after applying the second voltage to the pump for a set time when the pump is restarted.

And, when the flow rate sensed by the flow rate sensor is less than the set flow rate when the pump is restarted, the control unit may stop the pump for a set time and then re-drive the pump. In this case, when the number of restarts of the pump is greater than or equal to the set number, the control unit may notify the user that there is an abnormality in the coffee extraction function.

On the other hand, the beverage extraction unit accommodates the beverage capsule containing the beverage powder, and the hot water pressurized by the pump and the heater may be configured to flow into the beverage capsule to extract the beverage.

And, the control unit may drive the pump until it reaches a set extraction amount to be extracted according to the type of beverage selected by the user.

In addition, the direct-type purified water supply unit includes a room temperature water supply unit for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit at room temperature, a hot water supply unit for heating and supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit, and cooling the purified water filtered by the filter unit. At least one of the supplied cold water supply unit may be provided.

In this case, the hot water supply unit may include an instantaneous heating unit for instantaneously heating and discharging the introduced purified water, and a flow rate control valve for controlling the flow rate of water supplied to the instantaneous heating unit. In addition, the hot water supply unit has a check valve that is opened to discharge steam when the pressure of the instantaneous heating unit becomes greater than or equal to a set pressure, and the steam discharge flow path in which the check valve is installed is connected to the drip tray member provided in the beverage supply unit. can

In addition, the cold water supply unit may include a direct water type cold water tank that cools the purified water accommodated therein by the cooling unit and discharges the cold water accommodated therein by the pressure of the introduced purified water.

In addition, purified water filtered by the filter unit may be selectively supplied to the room temperature water supply unit, the hot water supply unit, or the cold water supply unit by a branching flow path switching valve.

According to an embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, since purified water can be extracted by raw water pressure, a large-capacity tank is not required, so the water purifier can be miniaturized and power consumption for maintaining a constant temperature of water contained in the tank is reduced. effect can be obtained. In particular, by not having a purified water tank or a hot water tank, a sanitary effect can also be obtained by minimizing the contamination caused by the proliferation of bacteria in the water accommodated in the tank.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the beverage supply passage for supplying beverages such as coffee is configured to be separated from the purified water supply passage, the temperature and pressure of the water supplied to the beverage extraction unit can be optimized, so that the It has the effect of excellent taste and smell.

And, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by installing a second flow sensor capable of measuring a low flow rate (eg, 0.1 to 0.6 LPM) in the beverage supply unit, the effect of accurately measuring the extraction amount of the beverage can be obtained. have.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by using a high-pressure heater or a die-casting heater, even when a high pressure is applied to the beverage extraction unit, there is an effect that stable heater operation is possible.

And, according to an embodiment of the present invention, stable beverage extraction occurs even when a blocking phenomenon occurs in the beverage powder accommodated in the beverage capsule by changing the pressure of water (steam) supplied to the beverage capsule, such as a coffee capsule. possible effect can be obtained. In particular, by changing the voltage applied to the pump, it is possible to change the pressure of water (steam) supplied to the beverage capsule, and accordingly, even when a blocking phenomenon occurs in the beverage powder, beverage extraction is possible. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the blocking phenomenon has occurred in the beverage capsule through the flow rate sensing through the flow sensor, and to solve the blocking phenomenon. And, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by re-driving the pump after stopping the driving of the pump, the blocking phenomenon is eliminated or the flow path is formed in an area where the blocking phenomenon does not occur, thereby providing the effect that stable beverage extraction is possible. can be obtained

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by discharging the steam generated from the instantaneous heating unit to the outside of the water purifier through the drip tray member provided in the beverage supply unit, corrosion or leakage of internal parts of the water purifier can be prevented. .

1 is a schematic view of a water purifier capable of extracting beverages according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic view showing the flow of water when extracting coffee (beverage) of the water purifier shown in Figure 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the flow of water when hot water, cold water, and purified water are extracted in the water purifier shown in FIG. 1 .
Figure 4 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the beverage extraction unit of the water purifier capable of beverage extraction according to the present invention.
5 and 6 are graphs showing various embodiments of changes in the voltage applied to the pump in the water purifier capable of extracting beverages according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Further, the embodiments of the present invention are provided in order to more completely explain the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer description.

Also, in this specification, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The water purifier having a beverage extraction function according to the present invention relates to a device capable of extracting various beverages such as coffee, black tea, and cocoa. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it may have a function of extracting a liquid beverage from various capsules containing various beverage powders such as coffee, black tea, and cocoa. Hereinafter, in the present specification including the claims, the case of extracting liquid coffee from coffee powder or extracting liquid coffee from coffee capsules will be described as an example, but the type of beverage used in the water purifier according to the present invention is coffee. It is not limited, and may be applied to various types of beverages capable of extracting beverages from the powder.

Hereinafter, a water purifier having a beverage extraction function according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3, the water purifier 100 having a beverage extraction function according to an aspect of the present invention includes a filter unit 120 that receives and filters raw water, and the filter unit 120 filters A beverage supply unit 150 that heats and pressurizes the purified purified water to generate a beverage, and a direct water purified water supply unit (WP) that supplies purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 to the purified water extraction unit 191 by the pressure of the raw water. is comprised of

The filter unit 120 is for sequentially filtering and purifying raw water, and may include a sediment filter, a free carbon filter, a reverse osmosis membrane filter or a hollow fiber membrane filter, and a post carbon filter. However, the type, number, and order of the filters may be changed according to the filtration performance required for the water purifier. In addition, the filters constituting the filter unit 120 are not particularly limited to being formed in the form of an independent cartridge, and as shown in FIG. may be configured.

Accordingly, raw water flowing in through the raw water inflow passage L1 is filtered while passing through the filter unit 120 installed in the filter unit passage L2.

On the other hand, the raw water inflow passage (L1) may be provided with a pressure reducing valve 111 for reducing the pressure of the incoming raw water to a predetermined level or less and a normally open solenoid valve (NOS) valve 112 that maintains an normally open state. .

In this way, the purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 is branched from the branching flow path switching valve V1 through the first flow sensor 115 and the purified water supply unit WP has flow paths L3, L4, L5, and L6. , L7) or the beverage supply unit 150 is supplied to the flow path (L8).

At this time, the first flow sensor 115 detects a flow rate of purified water supplied to the purified water supply unit WP, and the control unit 170 to be described later uses room temperature water, cold water, hot water, etc. by the flow rate detected by the first flow rate sensor 1150 . It is also possible to determine the replacement timing of the filter provided in the filter unit 120 based on the water flow amount sensed by the first flow rate sensor 115 .

The purified water supply unit WP may be configured in a direct water type for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 to the purified water extraction unit 191 by the pressure of raw water. In the case of this direct water purification supply unit (WP), since it does not have a large-capacity tank, it is possible to miniaturize the water purifier and reduce power consumption for maintaining a constant temperature of the water contained in the tank, as well as a purified water tank or hot water tank. By not providing a sanitary advantage by minimizing the contamination phenomenon by the proliferation of bacteria in the water accommodated in the tank.

Specifically, the purified water supply unit WP includes a room temperature water supply unit for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 at room temperature, a hot water supply unit for heating and supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit 120, and the filter; A cold water supply unit for cooling and supplying purified water filtered by the unit 120 may be provided, but only some of these may be provided.

In this case, the purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 may be selectively supplied to the room temperature water supply unit, the hot water supply unit, or the cold water supply unit by the branch flow path switching valve V1.

Referring to the arrow at the time of extracting purified water in FIG. 3 , the normal temperature water supply unit sequentially passes the purified water supplied from the branch flow path switching valve (V1) to the normal temperature water supply path (L5), the feed valve (116), and the normal temperature water extraction path (LM). It may be configured to flow to, and is connected to the purified water extraction unit (191).

In addition, referring to the arrow at the time of hot water extraction in FIG. 3 , the hot water supply unit is a hot water branch flow path L6, a beverage flow path switching valve V2, and a hot water supply flow path in which the purified water supplied from the branch flow path switching valve V1 is It is configured to flow into (L7), and may include a flow rate control valve 141, an instantaneous heating unit 140, and a hot water extraction valve 142. At this time, the hot water is configured to be discharged to the purified water extraction unit 191 through the hot water extraction passage (LH) by the opening of the hot water extraction valve (142).

On the other hand, the instantaneous heating unit 140 is configured such that the purified water introduced by the opening of the hot water extraction valve 142 is instantaneously heated and discharged. That is, the instantaneous heating unit 140 is not configured to accommodate hot water at a constant temperature, unlike the conventional hot water tank, but operates only when hot water is extracted, so that power consumption can be reduced. At this time, the flow rate of water is adjusted in the flow rate control valve 141 through the temperature of the water detected by the temperature sensor (not shown) mounted on the instantaneous heating unit 140 and the flow rate detected by the first flow sensor 115, Accordingly, it is possible to extract hot water at a required temperature. The instantaneous heating unit 140 may use a Luthenox heater, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, since the instantaneous heating unit 140 has a structure that is difficult to withstand at high pressure, when the internal pressure rises higher than the set pressure, it may be connected to the steam discharge passage L9 for safety. This steam discharge passage (L9) has a check valve that is opened for steam discharge when the pressure of the instantaneous heating unit 140 is higher than the set pressure while preventing external air from flowing into the instantaneous heating unit 140 . (143) may be installed. At this time, the steam discharge passage L9 is connected to the drip tray member 157 of the beverage supply unit 150, which will be described later, to prevent the steam discharged to the steam discharge passage L9 from remaining in the water purifier.

And, referring to the arrow at the time of cold water extraction in FIG. 3 , the cold water supply unit converts the purified water supplied from the branch flow path switching valve V1 to the cold water branch flow path L3, the feed valve 113, and the cold water supply flow path 114. It is configured to flow into the , and a cold water tank 130 may be provided.

The cold water tank 130 is configured to cool the purified water contained therein by a cooling unit (not shown), and may be a direct water type cold water tank in which the cold water contained therein is discharged by the pressure of the introduced purified water. The direct water type cold water tank 130 is configured to discharge pre-cooled cold water when the purified water at room temperature is introduced.

As described above, the cold water cooled by the direct water type cold water tank 130 is supplied to the purified water extraction unit 191 through the cold water extraction passage LC and provided to the user. In addition, a drain pipe 131 may be installed in the cold water tank 130 to drain the water contained in the cold water tank 130 when necessary for cleaning.

Next, look at the beverage supply unit 150 .

Referring to FIG. 2 , the purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 flows into the hot water branch flow path L6, and then the beverage supply flow path L8 constituting the beverage supply unit 150 by the beverage flow path switching valve V2. and the hot water supply passage L7 constituting the purified water supply unit WP.

Accordingly, the beverage supply unit 150 is configured to generate a beverage by heating and pressurizing purified water filtered by the filter unit 120 and branched from the flow path switching valve V2 for beverages.

To this end, the beverage supply unit 150 includes a beverage extraction unit 160 that generates a beverage, a pump 154 that pressurizes purified water to the beverage extraction unit 160 and supplies it, and the beverage extraction unit 160 . It may be configured to include a heater 155 for heating and supplying purified water, and a second flow rate sensor 153 for measuring the flow rate of purified water supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 .

In addition, the beverage supply unit 150 may include a constant flow rate fitting member 151 for passing the purified water introduced into the beverage supply passage L8 at a constant oil amount, and a feed valve 152 that is turned on during beverage extraction.

The second flow sensor 153 measures the flow rate of water supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 side. The second flow sensor 153 may be configured to measure the flow rate even at a low flow rate (for example, 0.1 to 0.6 LPM) in consideration of a small extraction amount of the beverage extraction unit 160 . That is, the above-described first flow sensor 115 cannot measure the low flow rate of the beverage supply unit 150 because only a high flow rate (eg, approximately 0.4 to 2.0 LPM) can be measured. Therefore, by installing the second flow rate sensor 153 capable of detecting a low flow rate separately from the first flow rate sensor 115 , it is possible to accurately measure the amount of beverage extracted from the beverage supply unit 150 .

In addition, the pump 154 may be configured as a high-pressure pump to supply a high pressure (eg, 7 ~ 10bar) to the extraction unit. Since the configuration of such a high-pressure pump is well known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

And, the heater 155 is configured to heat the introduced water to supply high temperature (eg, 90 ~ 95 ℃) water or steam to the extraction unit. The heater 155 is preferably composed of a high-pressure pimp that can be stably operated at a pressure of 7 bar or more (eg, 7 to 10 bar) to withstand the high pressure caused by the above-described pump 154 . As an example of such a heater 155, a die-casting heater may be used.

The die-casting heater is configured such that a heating element and a flow tube through which water flows are provided together in a heat conductor, and heat is transferred from the heating element to the flow tube to heat water flowing through the flow tube. At this time, the heat conductor is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and is configured to surround the heating element and the flow tube. This die-casting heater can be used stably even in a high-pressure environment because the flow tube is mounted inside the die-cast metal (heat conductor).

However, the heater 155 used in the present invention is not limited to the above-described die-casting heater, and various known heaters may be used as long as it can be used in an environment of high pressure (eg, 7 to 10 bar).

And, the beverage extraction unit is configured to extract a liquid beverage by supplying high-temperature and high-pressure hot water by the pump 154 and the heater 155 to beverage powder such as coffee powder.

At this time, the beverage extraction unit 160 may extract a beverage directly from the beverage powder, but may be configured to extract the beverage using the beverage capsule 165 in which the beverage powder is accommodated.

4, the beverage extraction unit 160 is provided with a capsule mounting part (not shown) in which a beverage capsule 165, such as a coffee capsule, is mounted, and high-pressure water (or steam) in the coffee capsule 165 . is supplied to extract liquid coffee. On the other hand, in the present specification, it is described that 'water' is supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 for convenience, but when the water heated by the heater 155 is supplied at high pressure, it is changed into steam to be supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160. can Therefore, in the present specification including the claims, 'water' supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 may include steam, and is defined as being composed of only steam.

And, the upper side of the coffee capsule 165 is provided with an upper perforating mechanism 161 for perforating the upper side of the coffee capsule 165 so that the water pressurized from the pump 154 can be introduced into the coffee capsule 165. do. In addition, the lower side of the coffee capsule 165 is provided with a lower perforating mechanism 162 for perforating the lower side of the coffee capsule 165, beverage powder such as coffee powder 169 inside the coffee capsule 165 and high pressure water This contact allows the liquid coffee to be supplied to the user through the perforated portion.

In addition, the coffee capsule 165 has a structure in which the coffee powder 169 is accommodated inside the capsule body 166, as shown as an example in FIG. An upper cover 167 and a lower cover 168 may be provided to protect the . However, the coffee capsule 165 used in the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 4 and a known capsule in which the coffee powder 169 is accommodated may be used.

In addition, the beverage, such as coffee, generated by the beverage extraction unit 160 is provided to the user through the beverage extraction unit 192 through the beverage extraction flow path (LCF).

In addition, the lower portion of the beverage extraction unit 160 is provided with a drain port 158 for discharging the residual water or washing water generated in the beverage extraction unit 160, the water falling from the drain hole 158 is a drip tray member (157) is accepted in

On the other hand, the extraction unit 190 having the above-described purified water extraction unit 191 and beverage extraction unit 192 may be configured separately as shown in FIG. 1, but it is also possible to be configured as one.

On the other hand, the water purifier 100 having a beverage extraction function according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a control unit 170 for controlling the driving of the beverage supply unit (150).

The control unit 170 controls the operation of the pump 154 based on the flow rate sensed by the second flow rate sensor 153 .

That is, when the flow rate sensed by the second flow rate sensor 153 is less than the set flow rate, it means that the flow rate of water supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 is extremely small or absent, which is a coffee capsule ( 165), it can be determined that the blocking phenomenon has occurred inside.

Accordingly, when the flow rate sensed by the second flow rate sensor 153 is less than the set flow rate, the control unit 170 controls the operation of the pump 154 in order to cope with the blocking phenomenon.

Specifically, when the flow rate sensed by the second flow rate sensor 153 is less than the set flow rate, the control unit 170 may stop the pump 154 and then restart the pump 154 .

That is, when the operation of the pump 154 is stopped for a predetermined time, the pressure applied to the coffee capsule 165 is lower than the pressure before the stop of the pump 154 . When the pump 154 is re-driven in this state, a change occurs in the pressure applied to the coffee powder 169, which makes it possible to change the pressure distribution or arrangement state of the powder. Therefore, stable extraction is possible by eliminating the blocking phenomenon due to the re-driving after stopping the pump 154 or allowing a flow path to be formed in an area where the blocking phenomenon does not occur.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the control unit 170 is at least part of the _{voltage application time (t 2a} ~ t _{2c ) when the pump 154 is restarted (t 2a} ~ t _2b ) During, When the pump 154 is initially driven, a second voltage V _{2 higher than the first voltage V 1} applied to the pump 154 may be applied to the pump 154 .

That is, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the pump 154 is initially driven (t ₀ to t ₁ ), when the voltage applied to the pump 154 _{is referred to as the first voltage V 1} , a predetermined time t ₁ ~ t _{2a ) The second voltage (V 2} ) at the time of re-driving after stopping the pump 154 may be greater than the first voltage (V _{1 ).} Thus, the case for increasing the second voltage (V ₂₎ than the first voltage (V ₁₎ higher pressure than in the case of applying a first voltage (V ₁₎ to the pump 154 is applied to the coffee capsule 165 Therefore, it becomes easier to solve the blocking phenomenon of the coffee powder 169 .

_{In addition, the control unit 170 applies the second voltage (V 2} ) to the pump 154 for a set time (t _2a to t _2b ) when the pump 154 is re-driven, and then the second voltage (V ₂ ) A lower third voltage V ₃ may be applied for the remaining time t _2b to t _{2c .} That is, since the blocking phenomenon can be eliminated by applying the second voltage (V _{2 ) greater than the first voltage (V 1} ) to the pump 154 , there is no need to continuously maintain _{the second voltage (V 2 ), and the set time (} After t _2a to t _2b ), a third voltage V ₃ lower than the second voltage V ₂ may be supplied.

In this case, the third voltage V ₃ may be set to be the same _{as the first voltage V 1} as shown in FIG. 5 , and may be higher than _{the first voltage V 1 as shown in FIG. 6 .} It may be set high.

On the other hand, there may be a case in which the blocking phenomenon is not resolved even after the pump 154 is stopped and then restarted. That is, when the blockage phenomenon is not resolved even after the pump 154 is re-driven, the flow rate sensed by the second flow rate sensor 153 is less than the set flow rate.

In this way, when the flow rate detected by the second flow rate sensor 153 is less than the set flow rate when the pump 154 is restarted, the control unit 170 stops the pump 154 for a set time and then stops the pump 154. It can also be restarted. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the pump 154 may be re-driven after a _{predetermined time (t 2c} to t _{3a ) has elapsed.} Also in this case, the second voltage (V ₂ ) to the pump 154 for the set time (t _3a ~ t _3b ) After applying the second voltage (V ₂ ) for the remaining time (t _3b ~ t _3c ) Lower than A third voltage V ₃ may be applied.

On the other hand, if the flow rate detected by the second flow rate sensor 153 continues to be less than the set flow rate even after the pump 154 is re-driven, the re-driving process may be continued after the pump 154 is stopped, but a certain number of times (For example, 3 times) When the set flow rate is not reached even after the pump 154 is restarted for more than 3 times, the waiting time for the user becomes excessively long, and the blocking phenomenon of the coffee powder 169 can be prevented only by the above-described method. can be difficult to resolve.

Accordingly, when the number of re-driving of the pump 154 is equal to or greater than the set number, the control unit 170 may notify the user that there is an abnormality in the coffee extraction function through the display unit 180 . Accordingly, the user can take measures such as removing the coffee capsule 165 that cannot be extracted from the beverage extraction unit 160 and mounting a new coffee capsule 165 to the beverage extraction unit 160 . At this time, since residual pressure exists in the coffee capsule 165 even in a state where the operation of the pump 154 is stopped, a safety accident due to water splashes or the like may occur when the user opens the beverage extraction unit 160, It is preferable to include a process of removing the residual pressure inside the coffee capsule 165 through opening a flow path connected to the beverage extraction unit 160, etc., when notifying a malfunction.

On the other hand, there are various types of capsules for beverages such as coffee capsules 165, and the extraction amount extracted at this time may also be configured differently for each type of capsule. For example, in the case of the coffee capsule 165, the extraction amount may vary, such as 35 cc for espresso, 65 cc for lungo, and 120 cc for Americano.

Accordingly, when the user selects the type of beverage to be extracted through the operation unit 185, the extraction amount may be determined through this.

Therefore, the control unit 170 is configured to drive the pump 154 until the extraction amount detected through the second flow sensor 153 reaches a set extraction amount extracted according to the type of beverage selected by the user. can In this case, since water is supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 through the beverage supply passage L8 separated from the flow path of the purified water supply unit WP, the temperature and pressure of the water supplied to the beverage extraction unit 160 can be optimized. There is an advantage in that the taste and aroma of beverages such as coffee are excellent.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention described in the claims. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

100... Water purifier 111... Pressure reducing valve
112... normally open solenoid (NOS) valve 113... feed valve
115... first flow sensor 116... feed valve
120... filter unit 121... first filter
122... Second filter 130... Cold water tank
131... Drain pipe 140... Instantaneous heating unit
141... Flow control valve 142... Hot water extraction valve
143... Check valve 150... Beverage supply
151... constant flow fitting member 152... feed valve
153... Second flow sensor 154... Pump
155... Heater 157... No drip tray
158... Drain 160... Beverage dispensing unit
161... Upper drilling mechanism 162... Lower drilling mechanism
165... coffee capsule 166... capsule body
167... upper cover 168... lower cover
169... coffee powder 170... control
180... Display 185... Control
190... Extraction unit 191... Purified water extraction unit
192... Beverage extraction part L1... Raw water inflow path
L2... Filter part flow path L3... Cold water branch flow path
L4... Cold water supply path L5... Room temperature water supply path
L6... Hot water branch flow path L7... Hot water supply flow path
L8... Beverage supply path L9... Steam discharge path
LC... Cold water extraction oil passage LH... Hot water extraction oil passage
LM... Room temperature water extraction oil LCF... Beverage extraction oil passage
V1... Flow changeover valve for branch V2... Flow selector valve for beverage
WP... water supply

Claims (20)

a filter unit that receives and filters raw water;
a beverage supply unit that heats and pressurizes the purified water filtered by the filter unit to generate a beverage, and includes a beverage extraction unit;
a direct-type purified water supply unit for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit to the purified water extraction unit by the pressure of the raw water; and
a control unit for controlling the driving of the beverage supply unit;
includes,
The beverage supply unit includes the beverage extraction unit for generating a beverage, a pump for supplying purified water by pressurizing the beverage extraction unit, and a flow rate sensor for measuring the flow rate of purified water supplied to the beverage extraction unit,
The control unit controls the driving of the pump based on the flow rate detected by the flow sensor, but stops the pump when the flow rate detected by the flow sensor is less than the set flow rate, and then restarts the pump. There is a water purifier. According to claim 1,
A flow path constituting the beverage supply unit and a flow path constituting the direct water purified water supply unit are branched by a flow path switching valve for beverages. 3. The method of claim 2,
The direct-type purified water supply unit includes a hot water supply unit for heating and supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit,
The flow path switching valve for beverages is a water purifier having a beverage extraction function, characterized in that the flow path is switched between the flow path constituting the beverage supply unit and the flow path constituting the hot water supply unit. According to claim 1,
A first flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of purified water filtered by the filter unit, and a second flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of purified water supplied to the beverage extraction unit,
The second flow sensor is a water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that it is possible to measure a finer flow rate than the first flow sensor. According to claim 1,
The beverage supply unit,
A water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that it further comprises a heater for heating and supplying purified water to the beverage extraction unit. 6. The method of claim 5,
The heater is a water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that it is a high-pressure heater that can be operated stably at a pressure of 7 bar or more. 6. The method of claim 5,
The heater is a die-casting heater in which a heating element and a flow tube through which water flows are provided together in a heat conductor, and heat is transferred from the heating element to the flow tube to heat the water flowing through the flow tube. Water purifier with beverage extraction function. delete delete According to claim 1,
Beverage extraction, characterized in that the control unit applies a second voltage higher than the first voltage applied to the pump during the initial driving of the pump to the pump during at least a portion of the voltage application time when the pump is restarted Water purifier with function. 11. The method of claim 10,
The control unit applies the second voltage to the pump for a set time when the pump is restarted, and then applies a third voltage lower than the second voltage. According to claim 1,
The control unit is a water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that when the flow rate sensed by the flow sensor is less than the set flow rate when the pump is restarted, the pump is stopped for a set time and then the pump is re-driven. 13. The method of claim 12,
The control unit is a water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that when the number of restarts of the pump is greater than or equal to a set number of times, the control unit notifies the user that there is an abnormality in the coffee extraction function. 6. The method of claim 5,
The beverage extraction unit accommodates the beverage capsule containing the beverage powder, and the high-temperature hot water pressurized by the pump and the heater flows into the beverage capsule to extract the beverage. According to claim 1,
The water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that the control unit drives the pump until it reaches a set extraction amount to be extracted according to the type of beverage selected by the user. According to claim 1,
The direct-type purified water supply unit includes a normal temperature water supply unit for supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit at room temperature, a hot water supply unit for heating and supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit, and cooling and supplying purified water filtered by the filter unit A water purifier with a beverage extraction function, characterized in that it includes at least one of the cold water supply units. 17. The method of claim 16,
The hot water supply unit includes an instantaneous heating unit for instantaneously heating and discharging the introduced purified water, and a flow rate control valve for controlling the flow rate of water supplied to the instantaneous heating unit. 18. The method of claim 17,
The hot water supply unit includes a check valve that is opened to discharge steam when the pressure of the instantaneous heating unit becomes greater than or equal to a set pressure,
A water purifier having a beverage extraction function, characterized in that the steam discharge passage in which the check valve is installed is connected to a drip tray member provided in the beverage supply unit. 17. The method of claim 16,
The cold water supply unit,
A water purifier with a beverage extraction function, comprising a direct-type cold water tank that cools the purified water contained therein by a cooling unit and discharges the cold water contained therein by the pressure of the introduced purified water. 17. The method of claim 16,
The purified water filtered by the filter unit is selectively supplied to the room temperature water supply unit, the hot water supply unit, or the cold water supply unit by a branching flow path switching valve.

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